Discount for a shop like ours
a nice overview
I was looking at a video about those just last night.
Wonderful technology, but comes with some VERY SERIOUS health and safety concerns!
Have a look at what one of those machine can do!
Have a look at the video.
Main concern, this thing can make people without protective glasses (passerby) blind with reflected light in a matter of seconds and instantly if they look at it.
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exactly!
Plus the one in the video I found, goes through an actual BRICK in less than a second!!! not really makerspace material in my opinion.
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I would love to contribute £50. But I also agree with the safety concerns raised. We would need to setup a work area that has a safety interlock. 
maybe the red sand blaster could be turned into a laser cabinet?
I would definitely support a laser welder/cleaner.
I’m not sure we would be buying one of that power, and we are trained in usage before. 
We have to believe in the capabilities of our inductions and members.
But yes, perhaps a while off yet.
I would absolutely love to use one of these; however, the health and safety concerns are absolutely real. One split second accidental trigger pull could ignite anything on fire from a distance. We would have to make a number of changes in the welding area and introduce probably one of the most strict policies and inductions on it. I’d like to think most of our metal inductees are responsible but we will always be held back by the weakest link with a machine like this and that’s a risk we most likely won’t want to take. We’d probably have to have a one-to-one induction with a quiz with a bias towards failing, have MIG welding experience, be a member for X months already, not work solo, dive more into fire safety, etc. (just throwing some ideas around).
Despite all of the risks, this machine is awesome as it supposedly welds aluminium, cleans rust off surfaces, and quadruples as a plasma cutter (although designed for use with nitrogen) as well as very fine “normal” welding. It’s incredibly affordable for what it’s capable of.
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It would probably require blocking off the welding nook with a wall and applying adequate panelling and ventilation to the room. That may not too complicated.
Fully agreed with the training/safety concerns. I’ve had a play with one of these a while ago and the conditions really have to be well controlled. I would however suggest that it’s likely a safer tool for the user than much of what we have in the Maker space; once the stray light is controlled and access protocols are agreed / trained.
It’s an incredible tool, really next league up for all sorts of metalwork welding/cleaning as well as stone/concrete/etc/etc cleaning.
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It would be affordable if it didn’t need its own arch.
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